Fidelia Okafor

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has declared the Kaduna International Airport, Kaduna, fit and ready for 24 hours local and international operations.

An online statement by the General Manager, Public Relations, Mr Sam Adurogboye stated that all the necessary steps to ensure that the status of the Airport as an Alternate Airport to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, (NAIA), during the closure have been put in place.

He also said that the navigational aids have been well calibrated and fully functional to facilitate continuous smooth landings and takeoffs

Adurogboye also stated that towards a seamless flight operation in line with Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPs), all relevant departments and directorates with full complement of staff have been redeployed to Kaduna from the aviation agencies.

The NCAA spokesman said that the Regional Managers of NCAA Abuja and Kaduna offices are on ground to allow for smooth integration of the additional staff coming to Kaduna.

“To sustain the safety and security of airline operations, a team of Aviation Safety Inspectors (ASI) from the Directorate of Airworthiness Standards (DAWS), Directorate of Consumer Protection, (DCP), Directorate of Air Transport Regulations (DATR), Directorate of Aerodrome and Airspace Standard, (DAAS) and Aviation Security Personnel are already at the airport” Adurogboye said.

The National Security Committee, he stated had designed and gotten approval for the security programme to cover the airport and its environs during the six weeks closure.

All the relevant aviation agencies, the regulatory authority, (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Customs and Excise, (NCS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Police Force and other security services among others are at the airport to provide unhindered facilitation of passenger traffic and flights.

He said that at the commencement of flights, it is expected that the Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will be the first scheduled airline to arrive the Kaduna International Airport upon the closure of Abuja Airport.

Recalled that the Federal Government had given approval for the closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, (NAIA), by  midnight of Wednesday  March 8, 2016, to allow for extensive repairs on the runway.

NCAA assured passengers that all hands are on deck to conduct a safe and secure air transport operations at all airports in Nigeria.